ITF

ARGENTINA A country with a great tennis history. It has a population of 1.8 million players, 30 per cent of which are women, and it is the region's best- performing nation in terms of competitive results. Who can forget Argentina being crowned Davis Cup champions in 2016? Asociacion Argentina de Tennis (AAT) provides good organisation and has a board formed of ex- players. The president is former world No. 16 Agustin Calleri, while Mariano Zabaleta is the vice-president and Franco Squillari the development director. Other former players are also involved at AAT. Argentina has a well-established tennis culture and philosophy, a legacy which began with Guillermo Vilas and Jose Luis Clerc and has been passed through the generations, influencing many whether it be Martin Jaite, Gabriela Sabatini, Gaston Gaudio, David Nalbandian or Guillermo Coria. There are currently seven Argentinian male players within the top 100 of the ATP rankings with others just outside, while one female player, Nadia Podoroska, holds a top 100 WTA ranking. CHILE The headline act of Chilean tennis is Cristian Garin, who occupies a career-high ranking of No. 17. He is another player to have received support through an ITF-administered Grand Slam Development Fund player grant. Cristian is really putting Chile on the tennis map, although the nation is still remembered for the gold medals won by Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez at the 2004 Olympic Tennis Event in Athens. Massu teamed up with Gonzalez to top the doubles podium, defeating Germany's Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuttler, before beating Mardy Fish of the United States to win singles gold. It was an amazing effort and is fondly remembered. Returning to 2021, Chile was one of the South American countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to severe lockdown rules, private clubs throughout the country, the majority of which are centred in Santiago, remained closed. The imposition of strict travel rules also greatly hindered the staging of national and international tournaments. Happily, from September, the rules were relaxed and tournaments started to take place again. It was great to see Chile qualify for and compete at the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals in Antalya, Turkey, 34 Winter 2021 ITF World with both teams performing with distinction. Federacion de Tenis de Chile is engaged with the Junior Tennis Initiative, and in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, online classes were introduced. The national association is now establishing partnerships with private academies, which could have a big impact. In terms of coaching, Chile obtained white level in the ITF's Recognition of Coach Education Systems programme earlier this year, while the ITF has been helping to train new tutors and assist with training structures. Chile, meanwhile, is well advanced with its ITF World Tennis Number implementation, with launch strategies being prepared. " " The progression from juniors to the professional ranks is never easy. In recent years, whether through ITF-administered Grand Slam Development Fund player grants or ITF International Junior Player Grants, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, his brother Francisco and Sebastian Baez have all received financial assistance to help with this transition. The drive to develop young players continues and earlier this year Argentina qualified for both the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals in Antalya, Turkey. In terms of participation, tennis in Argentina has grown a lot during the past two years. Although schools could only have online activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of new courts built and players attracted to the game has increased. Coaches' education also continues to thrive, with Argentina ranked second worldwide in terms of the number of registrants on the ITF Academy. One of the main ambitions of AAT is to build its own National Training Centre. Negotiations with government agencies are advanced and we hope that goal can become a reality. " " Garin is flying the Chilean flag CLICK FOR MAP VIEW

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